UIC Joyfully Celebrated our Students’ Success
UIC Joyfully Celebrated our Students’ Success
Miramar, FL- United International College celebrated its Annual Commencement Ceremony on June 23 at 7:00 p.m. at the Miramar Cultural Center Artspark with 5 students receiving Bachelor Degrees in Business Administration, International Business Management, Travel and Tourism Management and Communications and Mass Media; and 12 students receiving Associate Degrees in the same programs. Moreover, students represented 9 nationalities such as Colombia, Venezuela, Vietnam, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Russia, Romania, and Nicaragua. City of Miramar Mayor Wayne M. Messam addressed the graduating class.
The ceremony started promptly at 7:00 p.m. with the academic procession of the Faculty, graduating students, board of trustees, Mayor Wayne M. Messam, and UIC’s President, Lydia B. Bautista Möller. Mrs. Bautista addressed the students and recognized the importance of diversity at UIC. She also mentioned the importance of becoming entrepreneurs since 89.6% of the US businesses are recognized as small businesses, and that is a great opportunity to contribute to the local economy.
City of Miramar Mayor Wayne M. Messam was the guest commencement speaker. He summarized his speech with the BOLD acronym, meaning Blessed, Obligation to give back, Leadership, and Dare to be the best. Mayor Messam voiced the message to students that each one of them can influence the path of this country through their work in their companies or organizations at a grassroots level.
Finally, David Carreño, Business Administration Associate Degree recipient was the student commencement speaker. He shared a powerful story of his personal experience taking the Self-Empowerment course with Prof. Bautista. He explained how his life visioning completely changed through the course and now he is a successful entrepreneur, owner of the ½ Price Mattress North Miami franchise. He also shared with his graduating class his positive life attitude as the key to a peaceful and successful life.
UIC granted merit awards to Manuel Romero, David Carreño, and Jose Marcano in recognition to their entrepreneurship success; Lydia Juravle received the Holistic Education award; and Laura Steudel was recognized for earning the best Academic Performance of the 2017 Class.
The ceremony concluded with the anthem of United International College. This is the first graduation ceremony where UIC grants Bachelor Degrees. For further information, please contact Marcela Moyano at (954) 607-4344.
Miramar Cultural Center: Behind the Scenes Tour
Miramar Cultural Center: Exclusive Behind the Scenes Tour
On Wednesday, April 19th, 2017 the students of the History of Art course got the spectacular opportunity to have an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Miramar Cultural Center led by Ms. Kelly Armstead, the Arts and Education Administrator. The students were able to tour the entire arts center, which featured art exhibitions and galleries, art and dance studios, the center’s historical Broadway stage theatre, the Botanical Garden, and so much more, as well as meet some of the Center’s team leaders and program directors.
In addition, the students got the wonderful, and exclusive chance to have a meet and greet with our City’s Mayor Wayne Messam, who was very impressed, and appreciative with our students cultural backgrounds.
The students were able to have an up and close look and chance to learn about our art culture right here in our Miramar community.
Unemployed and Looking for New Horizons?
Unemployed and Looking for New Horizons?
The Unemployment rate of South Florida is 4.9% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States.
Being unemployed can open opportunities for training in a new arena thanks to a federal program of Career Source Broward, which offers funding for education.
One of the requirements to receive Career Source Broward funds for education is that the students must qualify to receive Pell Grants, which are available according to the financial need of the student’s household.
Prospective students must be (1) US citizens or residents and (2) must have a high school diploma or a GED, which is equivalent to the high school diploma.
Also, Career Source Broward has a special program that funds the education of young students between the ages of 16 and 21 and who are currently unemployed.
The Financial Aid office of United International College guides the students interested in applying to receive these federal grants to fill out the FAFSA application.
United International College (UIC) was founded 15 years ago in Davie, FL by the same founders of Unilatina in Bogota, Colombia. UIC is the first university of Colombian origin that received accreditation in the United States. Recently, UIC signed an agreement with Career Source Broward to offer its associate programs in Business Administration and International Business Management for applications that are currently unemployed and looking for new career ventures.
These are the steps to follow to receive federal funds and enroll in an academic program:
- Contact your nearest office of Career Source Broward for a Success Coach to help you qualify for the training program. www.careersourcebroward.com
- Obtain an ID to complete the FAFSA application at www.fafsa.go
- Complete the FAFSA application to receive Pell Grants if qualified at www.fafsa.gov
If you are interested in studying any of the programs at UIC, please use the code 042332 in the FAFSA application. UNILATINA International College is a higher education institution that follows a Model of Holistic Education, which focuses on developing not only intellectual skills of students, but also emotional, physical, and intuitive skills. Hence, UIC graduates are successful at the professional level, but also in all the fields of the human being. For further information, please contact (954) 607-4344 or via e-mail at uicadmissions@uinternational.edu
Graduating Entrepreneurs
Graduating Entrepreneurs
Seven students graduated with an Associate Degree in Small Business Administration, two with a Degree in International Business Management, and three with a Degree in Travel and Tourism Management.
The commencement ceremony took place on December 11, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at the United International College campus in Miramar, FL. Families and friends of the graduating class joined the ceremony.
The commencement speaker was Mr. Jeisson Rodriguez, a former student of United International College, who shared his journey to take the position where he is today as an advocate for democracy in Latin America. Rodriguez is currently a Ph.D. candidate of the Public Administration program at Florida International University. Rodriguez says: “A no for an answer is a given…keep knocking different doors and eventually one will give you a yes for an answer…don’t get used to this feeling of accomplishment, get addicted to it.”
The student speaker was Ms. Elmira Baibossynova. She is originally from Kazakhstan and completed an Associate Degree of Science in Business Administration. “People at UIC recognize your smallest achievement as an important step to move forward. I think that only amazing people can think that somebody is amazing,” said Baibossynova. She concluded her speech by telling her graduating peers, “When you succeed and become rich, famous and perhaps you take pictures with Bill Gates, post your pictures on your social media sites and don’t ever forget to use the hashtag #iLoveMyUIC.”
Mrs. Lydia Bautista Möller, the President of United International College closed her remarks to the graduates by saying “I wish you a successful personal and professional life, but more than anything, a life full of happiness.”
UIC graduated eleven students who represented seven nationalities including Colombia, Peru, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Mexico, Ukraine, and Venezuela. Graduates were proud of their multiculturalism. They now look forward to a successful career.
Get a Taste of the Graduation Celebration
ESL Program Elegible for Financial Aid
ESL Program Elegible for Financial Aid
The United States Department of Education has approved the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program eligible to receive Federal Financial Aid.
Residents and citizens of the United States can now attend this unique ESL program and receive Federal Pell Grants funds.
Students interested in the ESL program and benefit from Federal Financial Aid must have (1) high school diploma or GED (2) high school transcripts (3) government issued ID (4) take UIC’s placement test (5) submit evidence of previous professional experience or training and (6) submit application for admission.
The ESL program offers five levels of intensive English Language training in the skill areas of grammar, reading, writing, listening, and conversation. Additionally, the program has an integrated laboratory for each level in order to reinforce the learning in each of the skill areas through continued focused practice. All new students are placed in specific levels based on their knowledge of each skill area and their proficiency test scores.
The ESL program at UIC was first launched in 2005 and, throughout the years, it has continued to build and stay progressive in both its innovation of teaching techniques and community engagement.
David Lesser, the program director, states, “UIC’s ESL program focuses more on a broader communicative/collocative approach, backed up by years of sound second-language-acquisition research. UIC teaches English in a similar way to how all people learn their first language, naturally. All the dynamic teaching techniques and cultural engagement within the program lead a student from the basics of comprehension and speaking skills to becoming a highly-developed, academically prepared individual, ready to take on a degree program or move up within their profession.”
An important goal of the ESL program is to help students embrace American Culture through language and cultural understanding. Therefore, UIC’s professors not only teach students formal English, but also colloquial expressions to allow them to fluently comprehend and express themselves in daily American situations.
“UIC offers dynamic and practical student-focused programs that inspire students to read, write, speak and understand the English language at an exceptional level. To us, each person is more than just a number; they are part of our family and we treat them as so – Lydia Bautista Moller, UIC’s President”
UIC’s ESL program is cutting edge. Involving students in fun activities like karaoke, international presentation projects, mock interviews, local restaurant visits and related-business engagement, extra-curricular team-building events, and many more. In addition, UIC organizes program field trips to the most exciting touristic attractions of South Florida each quarter.
“We have offered the ESL program for the last 11 years to international students, and now we are excited to offer this quality program to local students who can greatly benefit from financial aid” – Angelica Moyano, Academic Director.
Students applying to FAFSA.GOV must enter UIC’s code: 042332 when prompted. Classes for the spring term start on April 4th, 2016. For more information about the ESL program and the financial aid application process, please contact Carolina Arenas, admissions coordinator at (954) 607-4344 or at uicadmissions@uinternational.edu
UIC Students of the Bachelor Degree Programs Tour Prestigious Companies Based In South Florida
UIC Students of the Bachelor Degree Programs Tour PrestigiousCompanies Based In South Florida
Students of the MAN 412: Entrepreneurship and Creativity course taught by Prof. Angelica Moyano this summer term have embarked on a quest to learn from the best. Prof. Moyano’s class is touring The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, El Dorado Furniture, and PaYa to Go to explore their key strategies that lead to success.
The purpose of the class is to train students to think as entrepreneurs able to design creative ideas and solutions while adapting to an uncertain world. “We are exploring in the class two kinds of Start Ups (1) those businesses that start from a small idea and (2) ideas that emerge within a large business as new products or services” Prof. Moyano says.
Students are excited to learn from the behind the scenes of these companies.
Communications Students Shadow Production of Two Entertainment Shows in Wynwood-Miami
Communications Students Shadow Production of Two EntertainmentShows in Wynwood-Miami
The students of UIC were invited to visit the studios of Sierralta Entertainment located in Wynwood-Miami. The purpose of the visit was to shadow producers and talent while shooting the entertainment show Converzakkando with Henry Zakka.
Studio owner, Miguel Sierralta, had a very special plan for the visit and upon arrival gave all our students a tour around the facilities and the production department.
Actress and reality star Sissy Fleitas was the guest of the day and while shooting the interview with Henry Zakka, was also shooting her reality show “Rica Famosa & Latina”.
UIC students were able to shadow two shows with two crews for different networks shooting simultaneously. “This was an invaluable experience for the students as they met talent and production and were invited to take pictures on set with them” says Liliana Moyano, UIC’s Communications and Mass Media program director.
Manuel Romero, a student from the Bachelor program in Communications and Mass Media added: “I am currently enrolled in the MMC 426 Reality Shows course and, after learning the theory, it was fascinating to see how reality TV is staged. It isn’t as real as it seems. I also noticed that content and creativity is what really matters instead of excessive high cost equipment.”
UIC is greatful to Miguel Sierralta and the Cast and Crew of Converzakkando for the learning experience offered to our students.
Pa'Ya to Go: The Story of a Startup that started as a Bakery
Pa’Ya to Go: The Story of a Startup that started as a Bakery
By Kiara Rozas
Pa’Ya to Go was founded by David Alfandari in 1998. The startup business started with a small bakery where Alfandari used to bake pan de bonos (typical Colombian cheese bread). At the beginning he had a great impact, people from around the neighborhood were buying pan de bonos, which taste was so good that people used to take long drives just to have pan de bonos. That’s how it all started with word of mouth.
Then, Alfandari saw an opportunity when he realized that he had a huge demand for his product; and he decided to offer new products and pivot. David closed the bakery store and became a manufacturer. Currently, Pa’Ya to Go has 19 different baking products and 25 employees.
With 14 distributors, Pa’Ya to Go has become one of the biggest manufacturers of pan de bono in South Florida. According to Danny, Operations Manager in Pa’ya to go, they make approximately $2 million in revenue.
They distribute their products to supermarkets and convenience stores such as Publix, and 7 eleven. Currently, they are negotiating with Walmart. Danny mentioned that they were able to reach those companies by knocking doors and being perseverant. He said: “Everything is about dedication and always looking forward to take the next step”.
Even tough Pa’ya to go is a small company and they are growing fast, they make sure that they make the right decisions, as Danny mentioned: “We are selling bread, so we must sell a lot in order for us to have profit, and that’s why we must take care of every penny we spend, and always try to make an informed decision”. A great example of that effort is ttheir innovative packing machine. The demand they had was so high that they couldn’t keep up with the packing so they bought a packing machine, which help them to save money and time. Currently, they are sponsoring a group of FIU engineering students in their capstone project, so they can build a machine that will help them create the tequeño “cheese sticks”.
As part of their marketing David and Danny are always attending fairs to attract new customers customers, since the overall goal of Pa’Ya to Go is to expand their market and distribute their products across the U.S.
Overall Pa’Ya to Go is an amazing startup business to learn from. David had previous startups that failed, but the experience he gained is what inspired him to create Pa’Ya to Go. The lesson I got from this startup is that you must keep innovating, take a leap of faith and know when to pivot; and finally, don’t wait for business to knock on your door, but just go for it and look for new opportunities.
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The Debut of Play Time, a Short Documentary on Autism, at the 20th Annual DIRFloortime International Conference in Orlando, FL
The Debut of Play Time, a Short Documentary on Autism, at the 20thAnnual DIRFloortime International Conference in Orlando, FL
Brad Fenton, Susie Fenton, Dr. Lina Maria Moyano, Manuel Romero, Jeffrey J. Guenzel, Virginia Spielmann
Manuel Romero, student of the Bachelor Degree in Communications and Mass Media of United International College, and producer and director of Play Time (2016), along with the film’s cast and DIRFloortime Professionals, screened the documentary at the 2016 20th Annual International DIRFloortime Conference at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, FL
Mr. Jeffrey J. Guenzel, Chief Executive Officer of the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental Learning, introduced the short documentary and recognized the importance of Play Time as a media initiative that creates awareness about DIRFloortime.
The Fenton Family, who is featured in the documentary, attended the conference and shared their thoughts during the Q&A session after the documentary screening. As parents of a child with autism, Mr. Fenton emphasized the significance of accessing therapy for them to be able to care for the needs of their child, Max. Also, Mrs. Fenton voiced the utterly value of becoming members of a support group. She said how attending their support group translates to belonging to a community of parents who all share similar experiences, thoughts, and an intense need to keep sharing.
“Play Time educates families about DIRFloortime. The documentary inspires families to keep on learning about DIRFloortime; and as a result, parents start taking action such as attending this important conference, and finding ways to implement this approach in their daily lives- Dr. Lina Moyano.”
Courtney Kearney reiterated the thoughts of Manuel’s professor, Dr. Marcela Moyano, who strongly believes that media must be a vehicle for social change and she said that Play Time is a clear example of how a documentary film can create awareness of such growing condition as autism.
Play Time is a documentary film that was produced as a class project in the MMC 416 Documentaries summer course 2016 at UIC. Manuel is eager and pleased to continue screening the documentary at various venues. He is in the process of translating it to other languages and launching a distribution campaign.